


Leisure, Interrupted

by gallifreyburning



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-17
Updated: 2013-05-17
Packaged: 2017-12-12 04:23:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/807187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gallifreyburning/pseuds/gallifreyburning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A missing scene from the end of "Midnight."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Leisure, Interrupted

She’s asleep when the leisure palace attendant brings the phone. “Your pardon, Miss Donna Noble.”

Donna blinks, shading her eyes from the glare filtering through the thick protective glass above. With a groan, she snatches the phone from the alien’s orange hands. “Bugger off. I was having a dream about a man in a computer in a library. Isn’t nice to interrupt dreams about computer-library men, I’ll have you know.”

The alien’s two heads dip asynchronously. “Apologies, Miss Donna Noble.” It doesn’t so much walk away as it glides.

Donna puts the phone to her ear. “What is it now?” she sighs, not bothering to hide her annoyance. Because she’s certain the Doctor’s sightseeing tour has been delayed and he’s  going to try to talk her into getting on that Crusader transport again, when he knows perfectly well she has a third massage and second pedicure lined up before sundown.

The line crackles. When the voice comes through from the other end, it sounds hollow, but it has nothing to do with the quality of the connection. “Donna.”

She sits bolt upright in her lounge chair, nearly rocketing onto her feet. She’s heard him unhappy and dispirited before, but he’s never sounded anything like this. “Where are you? What do you need?” The urge to move — to find him, wherever he is, and help fix whatever’s wrong — is overwhelming.

“There was … something happened on the tour. But I’m back at the station now. I just … I just needed …”

“Stay there,” Donna says. Heedless of her robe and how much leg she’s showing, she clutches the phone against her ear and hustles toward the changing rooms. “I’m coming. I’m coming right now. Are you injured? Tell me what to bring! The TARDIS is right here, I could pop into the infirmary for some Time Lord band-aids or—”

“No, I’m not injured. Stay there. I’m coming back to you. I just … I needed to hear your voice.”

Donna stops mid-stride, holding the phone with two hands to keep it from shaking. “You’re alright, yeah?”

“No,” he replies. The admission is so blunt, so unexpected, that it puts Donna’s heart in her stomach. 

“I’m here, Doctor. I’ll be here. Always.”

There’s a shaky exhale on the other end of the line. “Donna. I’m … I’m glad you’re with me.”

“You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried, spaceman.” The affection in her teasing is unmistakable. She imagines he must be smiling a little; she hopes so, at least.

“I know better than to try something as foolish as that,” he replies. To her relief, there’s the barest hint of his usual self in the words.

“I’ll be here, waiting for you,” Donna says, and he hangs up the phone.


End file.
